


My Wife and Kids

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: California Dreaming [16]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2014-09-30
Packaged: 2018-02-19 08:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2380889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Are you sure you want to be stuck with a group of misfits like us for the rest of your life?” Jake smirked.  “If you're my dad, I can still borrow money at forty.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Wife and Kids

“What kind of pizza is this?” Jake asked, flipping open the box. “Ooh, meat lovers.”

“Enjoy that.” Gideon grabbed a slice of cheese. “I can't eat any.”

“Dibs!” Cameron exclaimed.

“Dibs on what?” Tashima asked.

“The meat lovers pizza.”

“The whole pizza?” Jason asked.

“If I can get away with it.”

“You can't.” Tameka shook her head and took a slice from the box. “What's the occasion, Gideon? Pizza for Saturday lunch? Did we win the lottery or something?”

“I was just thinking that we did something bad and this is our last meal before punishment into infinity.” Jake said.

“Guilty conscience, Jake?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

“Nope, not me.” The teen shook his head.

“I wanted to talk to you guys while Dylan was out today. Since Saturday afternoons are visits with his mom this was the best time.”

“Too bad he's going to miss all of this great pizza.” Cameron took a big bite.

“As long as we show decorum,” Tashima said. “There will be some here when he gets back.”

“What's decorum?”

“It’s another word for good manners.” Gideon replied. “Let’s not gorge on pizza until we’re sick.”

“I guess I can show decorum.” Cameron nodded.

“So what's up, Gideon?” Tashima asked.

“I wanted to talk to you guys about two things. Firstly, I've had two meetings with Rebecca Grainger and she is ready to get the ball rolling on the adoption if we’re sure that’s what we want. Because you're all of a certain age, you may be questioned by a judge about why you made your decision. I want you to know that no matter what you have to be honest. Just be true to what you feel and you should be fine.”

“You're really going to adopt us?” Tameka asked.

“Yes, I am. It’s what you guys want, isn’t it? It would make me happy too. It’s been a while since I've had a family.”

“You have Stephen.” Tashima said. 

The kids knew about Jason’s thirty something son. He'd even been to Windsor twice to visit. It wasn’t the best relationship in the world but Jason put a lot of effort into it. He owed Stephen that much and he wanted to. It would never come close to the relationship Jason had with his father but being estranged for those years broke his heart.

“I love Stephen very much.” He said. “There were some things I could’ve done better as his father. I'm hopeful I won't make the same mistakes with you guys. Age and time teaches you a lot of lessons.”

“So if we’re your kids then no one can take us away, right?” Jake asked.

“I'm afraid you're stuck with me.”

“Can you afford us?” Tameka asked. “The state won't give you money if we’re not foster kids anymore.”

“They’ll still send a small amount for each of you until your 18th birthday, or 21st if you attend college.” Jason said. “I think we’ll be OK…I budget pretty well. I make good money being a professor and I also have my pension from the federal government along with proceeds from the selling of my cabin. Life won't be all Doc Martens and iProducts but we’ll be fine.”

“Count me in.” Jake nodded.

“Me too.” The twins said in unison.

“Cam?”

The eleven year old was stuffing his face with pizza but Jason knew that wasn’t the only reason he was quiet. He would never press Cameron foe an answer. The process took time and he would give him all the safe space he needed to figure out what he wanted.

“What will happen if my mom comes back?” Cameron asked.

“In order to be adopted, the court will take away your mother’s parental rights. Remember how we talked about that? It doesn’t mean she's not your mom anymore, Cam. All it means is legally she cannot take care of you anymore.”

“OK.” He nodded.

“Are you sure?”

“This is home, Gideon. I don’t want to live anywhere else.”

“My door will always be open for questions and concerns. For the lawyers and social workers this is all pretty routine but it’s something new for us. There is nothing wrong with being confused or asking questions to get a clearer picture of the process.”

“Are you sure you want to be stuck with a group of misfits like us for the rest of your life?” Jake smirked. “If you're my dad, I can still borrow money at forty.”

“I hope I raise you guys to rely on your own strengths and intelligence.” Jason replied. “As a family we will surely lean on each other. I hope you all know you can lean on me.”

“Totally.” Tameka nodded. “Can we call you Dad now?”

“I would be pleased to be Dad.” The former profiler smiled. “I want you guys to come up with names that make you comfortable. And Gideon is always fine.”

“Dad for sure.” Tashima said.

“I like Dad.” Cameron said. He was working on pizza slice number three. “I've never had a dad before so it’s cool.”

“I called my real dad Dad.” Jake said. “And he was a total jerk off. You're nothing like that, Gideon. I’ll call you Pop; perhaps occasionally Oldhead.”

“You are the only one allowed to call me Oldhead.” Jason said.

“Aww man, I like Oldhead.” Tameka smiled. “Oh well.”

“There's one more thing you guys, and the two things are connected. I want you to be honest with me…what do you think of Paloma?”

“She's pretty close to the top of my coolest person ever list.” Tameka said.

“I love her.” Tashima said.

“She's really awesome.” Cameron said. “She likes you a lot Gideon and she likes us too. Sometimes people are weird around kids, even if they work with them. She's never like that. She doesn’t treat us like we’re poor foster kids.”

“What about you, Jake?”

“She's a babe, for you Gideon. She was my caseworker for years and got me out of my Dad’s place. I owe her my life for that. I think she really, really cares about you. Why?”

“I'm thinking about asking Paloma to marry me.” Jason replied.

“Holy smokes, for real?” Tashima covered her mouth.

Tameka and Cameron could hardly contain their excitement. Jake just nodded and smile while getting another slice of pizza.

“Where’s the rock?” Tameka asked. “I know you went all out, right Gideon? Women like diamonds and sparkly things. I read in a magazine that Richard Burton once bought Elizabeth Taylor a ten carat diamond. That is why she married him twice.”

“But women also like subtlety.” Tashima said. “If you go too over the top she’s gonna wonder what you want forgiveness for.”

“I need to monitor your magazine purchases more.” Jason said.

“I saw that on Real Housewives.” Tashima said.

“O-K.” Gideon pulled the ring box from his pants pocket. “I went for something simple, classic, elegant, and affordable.”

“Pop that top.” Cameron said. “I want to see.”

Jason opened it and the kids gathered around to look. It was a two and a half carat oval cut amethyst surrounded by a half carat of diamonds. They circled the stone and then went halfway down the 24 carat white gold band.

“That’s a whopper.” Cameron said.

“It must’ve cost like 50 grand.” Tameka said.

“No, it was pretty affordable.” Jason said. “The center stone is amethyst, which isn’t as expensive as some other stones. But they are Paloma’s favorite.”

“Purple is her favorite color.” Jake said.

“Yes.” Gideon nodded.

“I think she's going to love it.” Tashima said. “If she turns you down then she's totally missing out.”

“She won't.” Tameka thumped her twin’s thigh. “Paloma is crazy about Gideon. He's gonna ask and her smile will get all big. She’ll start to cry a little bit, nod like crazy cuz she can't stop, and totally say yes. Then they’ll hug and kiss. That’s how it happens when it’s meant to be.”

“When are you going to ask her?” Jake asked.

“I'm taking her to brunch tomorrow.” Jason replied.

“When I get rich I'm going to have brunch every day.” Tameka said. “Rich people always sleep in…their assistants do the boring morning stuff for them.”

“Rich people had to get up early and work hard so they could get rich, didn’t they?” Cameron asked.

“Nah, they just inherit it like Paris Hilton, or get famous on reality TV or something. I don’t have an inheritance so I'm gonna have to get my own show soon. Once I become a jet-setting, international fashionista someone will want to record my every move. I'm sure of it.”

“It’s good to have goals, Meka.” Jake laughed.

“Better believe it.” She nodded. “I'm taking you all with me.”

“I like your goals even better now.” Cam said.

“Meka’s goals, which are commendable, aside, I appreciate you guys being honest with me about Paloma and everything else.” Jason put the ring back in his pocket. “The adoption will take some time but the ball is rolling. And we’ll find out tomorrow if Paloma wants to become part of our family.”

“She’d be crazy not to jump in with both feet.” Tashima said. “We are so awesome!”

“We are pretty awesome.” Jake nodded.

“I concur.” Jason opened a box and took another slice of pizza.

***

“Something’s wrong.” Paloma said.

“No.” Jason shook his head.

“Are you sure?”

“I am.”

“Did Rebecca give you bad news?”

“Paloma,” he laughed. “Nothing is wrong. God, do I sound that awful?”

“No, but you do sound a little off.”

“Well I talked to the kids about the adoption today and they are all the way on board. The twins are really excited and I think the boys are happy to know they’ll have permanency in their lives. I've had Jake for nearly four years now. As a foster I know he worries that he could be moved at any time; the state system is really unpredictable. The kids don’t get a say in where they live in 95% in the cases.”

“I'm really excited about this.” Paloma said. “It’s not even happening to me and I find myself smiling at random times thinking about it. When I placed Jake in your care I seriously never thought it would be like this.”

“And that’s a good thing?” Jason asked.

“It’s a very good thing.” She replied. “We see people wanting to foster for all kinds of reasons…not all of them altruistic. When a child gets the courage to open up to you and say they want to leave a foster home because they don’t feel safe there, that’s heartbreaking. We have good stories that come from your fostering Jason. 

“It’s a trend the state wants to continue. You are, and should continue to be, a shining example of what fostering can be for kids who don’t have many chances otherwise. That’s why I got up and went to work every day. Because I was so hopeful that someone like you would call at least once a month.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Sorry I couldn’t come over tonight. I just want to keep an eye on Odie. The vet says he's fine but I feel better if I have eyes on him. He ate dinner tonight and now he's sleeping.”

“What did you do today?” Jason asked.

“I went on a San Franciscan adventure.” Paloma laughed. “After I made sure Odie had breakfast and was relaxing, I drove to the bay area to meet up with a chum. He heard a rumor Michael Douglas was filming in town so went stalking. That was awesome but tiring so then there was lunch and relaxing in the park. After that we did a little more stalking. He insisted on seeing a picture of you because he thought I was making you up.”

“What?”

“The truth is after my divorce, my friends were a little pushy about my getting back out there and meeting someone. So I used to make up dates to get them off my back. I'm not the greatest liar so it only worked for a little while. I showed him the selfie we took about a week ago…the one that Pumpkin photo bombed.”

“You look beautiful in that picture.” Jason said. “I'm mostly covered by the cat.”

“There was enough of you to prove me truthful.” Paloma said. “It’s been a relatively quiet evening with me and my baby. I watched some Melissa Harris Perry I had on the DVR and chilled on the couch. Soon I’ll slip into the bathtub with Marc Cohn before calling it a night.”

“I love when you say that. I don’t even get an image of you in the tub with another man. I just get an image of you.”

“Well sometimes I slip into the bath with Diana Krall or Anita Baker. Tell me what you think about then, Professor.”

“No comment.” Jason laughed.

“Aww, c'mon…you started it.”

“I did; this is entirely my fault.”

“You don’t sound off anymore.” She said.

“That’s because you're so good for me.”

“I like to hear you say that.”

“When it comes to you, I only want to say the truth.”

“So, brunch tomorrow?” Paloma let out a contented sigh. 

Damn, she loved this man. She loved him with her whole heart and hardly knew how to deal with it. What did you do when all you wanted was to be with someone 24/7? She thought that feeling was for younger women. Not that women in their forties couldn’t experience love, but most had reality checks the size of the national deficit in their past. These pangs with Jason were so real. 

They were with her when she woke in the morning and still there in the middle of the night. They were there when he was right beside her and when they were apart on nights like this. Epic poems had been written about these pangs by people more articulate than Paloma could be. What could she ever say more than I love you just to let him know? Just to give him an iota of what she felt down to the deep recesses of her soul.

“Paloma, I'm a really traditional guy.” Jason said.

“There's nothing wrong with that. Brunch is pretty traditional.”

“I've tried to break myself out of the rigid habits over the years but to use two clichés, old habits die hard and you can't teach an old dog new tricks.”

“I know the second one is wrong. My mom just taught her beagle to get the mail and Scamp is about…”

“Will you marry me?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“What?”

“Wait a minute…”

“Whoa, I think we need to start from the beginning, Jason. Something just happened and I'm not even sure what it was.”

“I couldn’t wait until tomorrow…it was about to burst out of me.”

“Did you just propose to me?” Paloma asked.

“I did. I have a ring and everything. I was going to do it over brunch tomorrow, while you went off on a tangent about this or that and I knew without fail that I didn’t want to live without you.”

“Oh my God…”

“I'm not an easy man, Paloma, and I know we haven’t been seeing each other too long. There are probably more reasons to say no than there are to say yes, not the least of which is you will quickly become the stepmother of four. And I know you said you didn’t want to move in with me, didn’t want to lose your house and your autonomy…”

“Stop talking.” She said it gently, and Jason actually listened. “I need just a minute to, oh wow…” Paloma laughed some. “I said yes, right?”

“You said yes. I understand if it was spur of the moment and you need some time to think about all that this implies.”

“I've been crazy about you since about the third time we met, Jason. I don’t know why but I was. And all this time I pushed it away, didn’t want to ruin what was a good working relationship and had the potential of being a friendship.”

“And you're willing to do that now?” he asked, unable to keep from laughing.

“What does the ring look like? Tell me all about it.”

“I could send a picture. Wow, this is a truly 21st century proposal.”

“No picture,” Paloma said. “Just tell me.”

“Well the band is 24 carat white gold. It’s a center cut oval shaped amethyst with diamonds around it. The diamonds are about three quarters of a carat and the amethyst is 2.5 carats.”

“Is the four prong setting in platinum?”

“Yes. I'm not even going to ask how you thought to ask that question.” Jason said.

“It sounds amazing.”

“I think I outdid myself. Tomorrow I’ll get down on one knee; I'm gonna do it right Paloma. That way when you tell your parents about it I don’t have to be the schmuck who proposed over the phone.”

“I'm totally telling my friends you were the schmuck who proposed over the phone.” She laughed. “And I'm going to tell them that I couldn’t wait to say yes. Jason…”

“You're going to ask me if I'm sure and I am quite sure. I love you; I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to be happy, and I'm happy with you. For so many years I didn’t know how to be happy. I knew how to work, I knew how to use my gift to save people, but a lot of people died too. 

“When I got into my car and drove away from everything, I didn’t know what was waiting for me. Now I know. This is my fourth chance and I have no intention of messing it up. Bear with me because it'll be worth it.”

“It certainly will be. I wasn’t going to ask you if you were sure. I was going to tell you that I love you so much. How am I going to sleep tonight; I'm so excited?”

“I'm sure a warm bath will relax you.”

“If that doesn’t work, I’ll call my mom. She’s sure to be just the killjoy I need to put my feet firmly back on the ground.”

“You're not allowed to stop floating.” Jason said. “We’ll float together as soon as you're in my arms tomorrow.”

“I'm going to have to let you go, aren't I?” Paloma said.

“Sleep would probably be a good idea. I want you to enjoy your bath, have sweet dreams, and I’ll pick you up around noon.”

“OK.”

He could feel her smile all the way from Santa Rosa and it made him do the same thing. This was right, Jason knew that nothing had been so right in a very long time. He wished more than anything that Paloma was in his arms right now. Hopefully he would have many more years to hold her close.

“Goodnight, my love.”

“Goodnight, Jason.”

Paloma slid her finger across her phone to end the call. She laid back on her bed wearing a big smile. Grabbing a pillow from beside her, she put it over her face and screamed. It felt so freeing that she did it again. Oh my God, he proposed! It was the last thing Paloma ever expected to hear. 

After she turned down his hint at moving in together, she wasn’t really sure how much longer the relationship would last. She wanted to be with Jason but she suspected he was done with big time commitments in his life. He had his kids and that was a lot. He had his pets and his job and the house on Ashley Drive. Maybe he felt like adding one more thing would send all those plates falling to the ground. 

Paloma knew how precious his mental health was to him. Jason worked hard to stay centered and she wanted to help. Now she knew he felt the same. Shame on him next time he mused about not having a spontaneous bone in his body. She smiled again thinking about how excited he was that he couldn’t even wait until brunch.

Getting up from bed, Paloma grabbed her iPod dock, and walked into the bathroom. It was time to draw her bath. Jason was right, it would help her relax. Relaxing was fine but she didn’t want to stop floating. Who in their right mind would want to stop feeling like this? Not Paloma; not now or ever.

***


End file.
